— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) July 13, 2018
Banks also continues to make vague comments likely directed at Bayley through her social media accounts.
Sasha Banks vs Bayley
There is some speculation the reason Bayley vs Sasha Banks was not added to the Extreme Rules show is that it is being saved for SummerSlam. This also allows WWE to further build the angle through the therapy segments.
In a previous article on the Sasha Banks vs Bayley rivalry, we compiled their head-to-head statistics (not including house shows).
Banks recently commented on Ronda Rousey’s addition to the Raw roster. Rousey has made a fan of the multi-time champion, Banks.
“She has been killing it,” Banks said to CBS. “She has proven all the doubters wrong, and it’s so crazy to see her matches. I’m in shock; I’m in awe. I loved her match at WrestleMania. I loved her match at Money in the Bank, and I definitely think she’s one to watch. I can’t believe Money in the Bank was only her second match. I am so impressed, and I hope that I get to wrestle her in the future. I’m so excited for her career in WWE, and man, she really has been killing it.”
Three years ago today, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair made their main roster debuts on RAW. Nikki Bella was delivering a “State of the Divas Address” alongside Alicia Fox and Brie Bella. Stephanie McMahon interrupted and was soon joined by Paige, Tamina Snuka, Naomi, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair.
Stephanie said it was time for a real change in the division and provoked the Superstars into a brawl. The brawl culminated in Becky, Sasha, and Charlotte all locking in their finisher submission holds as Stephanie McMahon looked on from the entrance ramp.
All three Superstars have already accomplished a lot in the short time they have been on the main roster. Each has played an integral role in the women’s revolution and helped change the divas division into the women’s division. Charlotte and Banks main-evented WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 and Becky Lynch became the first-ever SmackDown Women’s Champion. Below is a recap of their time on the main roster so far and their accomplishments.
Becky Lynch (1-Time SmackDown Women’s Champion)
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Becky Lynch teamed up with Paige and Charlotte to form Team PCB. The trio didn’t last long, as Paige insulted Charlotte the RAW after she won the Divas Championship at Night of Champions 2015. Lynch tried to remain friends with Charlotte at the time, but the power had gone to Flair’s head and she became a heel.
Ric Flair started getting involved in Charlotte’s matches to ensure that his daughter stayed atop the women’s division. On RAW 1/4/16, Becky Lynch overcame Ric’s interference and defeated Charlotte Flair via a roll-up while holding onto Charlotte’s tights. Charlotte then attacked Lynch from behind after the match.
Lynch then battled Charlotte on SmackDown later that week. Becky had the match won with the Dis-Arm-Her submission applied, but Ric Flair pulled his daughter’s leg to the bottom rope just before she tapped out. Charlotte then rolled up Lynch and used the ropes for leverage to retain the title. Becky got another shot at the Divas Championship at Royal Rumble 2016 but came up short once again.
Becky Lynch then aligned with Sasha Banks to battle Tamina and Naomi at WWE Fastlane 2016. Lynch and Banks won the match but wound up in a feud against each other to determine the #1 contender for Charlotte’s Divas Championship. Charlotte wound up defending the title against both Superstars in a Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania 32. Charlotte retained and the Divas Championship was rebranded as the WWE Women’s Championship.
Lynch was the first female Superstar to be drafted by SmackDown on July 19th, 2016. At Backlash 2016, Lynch defeated Natalya, Nikki Bella, Naomi, Carmella and Alexa Bliss in a Six-Pack Challenge to become the first-ever SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Becky Lynch lost the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Alexa Bliss in a Tables Match at WWE TLC 2016. She has not captured the title since but WWE has been pushing her on recent episodes of SmackDown. Becky has been on a winning streak as of late and tapped out Charlotte Flair last month.
Sasha Banks (4-Time Raw Women’s Champion)
Sasha Banks
Sasha joined Tamina and Naomi to form Team B.A.D. on the main roster. Banks defeated Divas Champion Nikki Bella on the 8/17/15 episode of RAW in a non-title match. She competed in #1 contender Beat the Clock challenge to determine the #1 contender to the Divas Championship. Banks wrestled Paige to a time limit draw and Charlotte Flair ultimately won the competition.
Sasha attacked Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair after their title match at Royal Rumble 2016. On the following week’s episode of RAW, Sasha wanted it to be known that she was no longer a part of Team B.A.D. and was on her own now. She had her sights set on the Divas Championship and was scheduled to face Becky Lynch later that night. During her match with Lynch, Naomi and Tamina attacked Banks. This led to Banks teaming up Lynch to defeat Team B.A.D. at WWE Fastlane 2016. Charlotte Flair then defeated Banks and Lynch at WrestleMania 34 in a Triple Threat Match.
Banks was drafted to RAW on 7/19/16 and made an immediate impact. She defeated Charlotte on the July 25th episode of RAW and captured her first WWE Women’s Championship. Banks dropped the belt back to Charlotte 27 days later and the title was rebranded to the RAW Women’s Championship.
Sasha Banks recaptured the RAW Women’s Championship on the October 3rd episode of RAW, only to once again lose it back to Charlotte 27 days later at in the first-ever women’s Hell in a Cell Match at WWE Hell in a Cell 2016. Sasha won the title for a third time after defeating Charlotte in a Falls Count Anywhere Match on the November 28th episode of RAW. Banks quickly lost the title back to Charlotte at WWE Roadblock in a 30-minute Iron Man Match.
Banks would then help Bayley defeat Charlotte to capture the RAW Women’s Championship on 2/13/17 episode of RAW. Sasha came up short against Bayley, Charlotte and Nia Jax in a Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match for the title at WrestleMania 33. Sasha won the RAW Women’s Championship for a fourth time at WWE SummerSlam 2017 after defeating Alexa Bliss. Her fourth title reign only lasted 8 days as she dropped the title back to Bliss on the August 28th episode of RAW.
Sasha was the #1 entrant in the first women’s Royal Rumble Match this past January. She lasted over 50 minutes in the match but was eliminated by Nikki & Brie Bella. Sasha also competed in the first women’s Elimination Chamber Match but lost to Alexa Bliss in the finals. During that match, Sasha Banks betrayed Bayley and that feud has been on and off ever since. Banks and Bayley are currently in counseling as demanded by RAW GM Kurt Angle.
Charlotte Flair (4-Time RAW Women’s Champion, 1-Time SmackDown & Divas Champion)
Charlotte joined Becky Lynch and Paige to form Team PCB after joining the main roster. Flair made her PPV debut at WWE Battleground 2015 and defeated Brie Bella and Sasha Banks in a Triple Threat Match. Team PCB went on to defeat Team B.A.D. and Team Bellas at SummerSlam 2015
Flair captured the Divas Championship at Night of Champions 2015 by defeating Nikki Bella. The following night on RAW, Paige insulted Charlotte and Becky Lynch and claimed that Flair only won the title because of her father. Charlotte retained the title at Hell in a Cell 2015 by once again defeating Nikki Bella. The following night on RAW, Paige attacked Charlotte and Becky Lynch. Flair went on to successfully defend her title against Paige at Survivor Series 2015, the next night on RAW and WWE TLC 2015.
Charlotte had hinted at turning heel for a bit but it became official on the 1/4/16 episode of RAW. Flair lost to Becky Lynch and then attacked her after the match. Ric Flair then helped Charlotte retain the title against Lynch three days later on SmackDown. Charlotte held onto the Divas Championship by retaining against Brie Bella at WWE Fastlane 2016 and Natalya at WWE Roadblock. Charlotte became the first inaugural WWE Women’s Champion after defeating Banks and Lynch at WrestleMania 32.
Flair then entered a feud with Natalya on the RAW after WrestleMania 32. This led to a title match at WWE Payback 2016, Bret Hart and Ric Flair were ringside for that match. In an homage to the infamous Montreal Screwjob, referee Charles Robinson called for the bell while Charlotte had Natalya trapped in the Sharpshooter.
Charlotte defeated Natalya once again at Extreme Rules 2016 in a Submission Match. Ric Flair was banned from ringside but Dana Brooke interfered in the match. The next night on RAW, Charlotte scolded Ric Flair and informed him that she no longer needed him. Flair lost the title to Sasha Banks on the 7/25/16 episode of RAW following the draft. As written above, the two played hot potato with the title for a couple of months but Flair ultimately won the feud.
Bayley and Charlotte then entered a feud and Charlotte defeated her at Royal Rumble 2017 to retain the title. Charlotte then dropped the title a couple of weeks later on RAW to Bayley and then lost her rematch at WWE Fastlane 2017, which ended Flair’s PPV singles match undefeated streak at 16. Flair once again battled for the RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 33 in a Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match. Bayley retained the title by eliminating Charlotte in the finals.
During last year’s WWE Superstar Shake-Up, Charlotte joined SmackDown and has been a part of the blue brand ever since. Charlotte once again became a fan favorite as she battled the Welcoming Committee (Carmella, Tamina Snuka and Natalya). Charlotte competed in the first-ever women’s MITB Ladder Match last year but Carmella emerged victorious due to outside interference from James Ellsworth. At WWE Battleground 2017, Charlotte battled Natalya, Becky Lynch, Tamina and Lana in a Fatal 5-Way Elimination Match to determine the #1 Contender for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Natalya emerged victorious in the match after pinning Charlotte.
Charlotte then stepped away for a couple months as Ric Flair was battling health issues. She returned to SmackDown on 9/19/17 and defeated Becky Lynch, Tamina and Naomi in a Fatal 4-Way Match to become the #1 contender for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Charlotte battled Natalya at WWE Hell in a Cell 2017 and won the match by DQ, thus Natalya remained SmackDown Women’s Champion. Flair wound up winning the title on the 11/14/17 episode of SmackDown in her hometown. After the match, Charlotte celebrated with her father on the entrance ramp. Flair successfully defended the title against Natalya at Clash of Champions in a Lumberjack Match.
Flair, Naomi and Becky Lynch then entered a feud with the Riott Squad. Charlotte wound up retaining her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Ruby Riott at WWE Fastlane 2018. After the match, Asuka confronted her and made it known she wanted to face Flair at WrestleMania after winning the first women’s Royal Rumble. Charlotte went on to hand Asuka her first loss at WrestleMania 34 and retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Two days after WrestleMania 34, Charlotte lost the title after Carmella cashed in her MITB briefcase. Carmella went on to defeat Charlotte at WWE Backlash 2018 to retain the title.
Charlotte has been off of SmackDown due to injury recently but is expected to return within the next few weeks. All three Superstars have had success on the main roster, but Flair seems to be the one consistently at the top. She will most likely be back in the SmackDown Women’s Championship picture upon her return to the ring.
Discussion: While Charlotte Flair has had the most impressive run on the main roster so far, which Superstar do you think will accomplish the most going forward?
Sasha Banks believes that the best is yet to come for her in the WWE.
The former WWE RAW Women’s Champion recently spoke with Sports Illustrated about various topics including her favorite match and her mindset as a Superstar. She noted that her favorite match came against Bayley at the WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn event back in 2015.
Banks pointed out that there are a lot of other great moments including the Triple Threat Match that she was involved in at WrestleMania 32 that featured Snoop Dogg performing her entrance theme song. She added that words cannot describe going over to Abu Dhabi and being the first women’s title match there for WWE.
“But being 26, I also feel like the best is yet to come. I feel like I have so much more to accomplish and so much more to prove. After we finish all these ‘first-time ever’ moments, it’s going to be like, ‘OK, can we out-do that?’ I just want to keep on being the best and continue making history, and leave my legacy in the WWE.”
In this interview, Banks also gave some praise to her fans for their support no matter where she’s positioned on the card because there is a connection between the company and the fans. “There are so many people you can look up to and say, ‘Hey, I want to be like her.’ We have this great connection with the WWE Universe, and it’s amazing that I can do this every week. It’s a lot of fun, especially with the best fans in the whole world.”
WWE Superstar Sasha Banks was recently a guest on the In This Corner podcast with Brian Campbell to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “The Legit Boss” first talked about what a dream come true it was to wrestling in the Women’s Money In The Bank (MITB) Ladder match last month:
“It was such a dream come true to be part of the Money in the Bank Ladder match,” Banks said. “It’s so crazy, watching Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon and now I am here doing exactly what they were doing, so it’s a dream come true.
“I thought the women killed it better than the guys. I can’t wait for next year and hopefully, I get the briefcase next year.”
When addressing the idea of being underutilized in WWE, Banks said she always gives 110 percent in everything she does because she was once told if you do then you can’t be unhappy with yourself:
“I feel like I go out there every single week and give it 110%, and as I was told by a good friend, as long as you work hard you can’t be unhappy with yourself. That is what I do every single week that as long as I am going out there every single week and giving it 110%, I can’t be mad.
“Whether they want to push me or not, I am always going to give it 110% and will always be the Legit Boss and keep on putting on great matches and stealing the show. I am honestly living my dream every single day so there aren’t too many things to be mad at, I’m still going to be the best though.”
You can listen to Banks on the In This Corner podcast by clicking this link here.
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) June 29, 2018
“Good morning to everyone except Bayley” – Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks vs Bayley Rivalry
Now that the Banks vs Bayley rivalry appears to be in full swing, it’s a good opportunity to take a look at their career stats against each other.
They have wrestled each other 14x in single’s competition in matches that have aired on television or the WWE Network (i.e not including house shows). Banks has won 4x, Bayley has won 9x, and they went to a no-contest once.
Banks and Bayley have met another 13x in multi-person matches. Of these, Banks has won 4x, Bayley once, and neither were the victor in the rest of the matches.
NXT Takeover Revival February 11th, 2015 NXT Women’s Championship
Sasha Banks defeated Charlotte Flair (c), Bayley, and Becky Lynch
Raw, September 12th, 2016
Sasha Banks defeated Bayley and Dana Brooke
Clash of Champions 2016 September 25th, 2016 Raw Women’s Championship
Charlotte Flair (c) defeated Bayley and Sasha Banks
WrestleMania 33 Raw Women’s Championship Fatal 4-Way Elimination
Bayley (c) defeated Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax, and Sasha Banks
Raw June 26th, 2017
Gauntlet Match
Sasha Banks defeated Bayley, Dana Brooke, Emma, Mickie James, and Nia Jax
No Mercy 2017 September 24th, 2017 Raw Women’s Championship 5-Way
Alexa Bliss (c) defeated Bayley, Sasha Banks, Emma, and Nia Jax
Raw October 9th, 2017
5-Way Elimination
Emma defeated Alicia Fox, Bayley, Dana Brooke, and Sasha Banks
Raw October 23rd, 2017
3-Way
Alicia Fox defeated Bayley and Sasha Banks
Raw November 20th, 2017
5-way
No contest
Royal Rumble 2018 January 28th, 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble
Neither won
Elimination Chamber 2018 February 25th, 2018 Raw Women’s Championship Elimination Chamber Match
Alexa Bliss (c) defeated Bayley, Sasha Banks, Mickie James, Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose
WrestleMania 34 April 8th, 2014 Women’s WrestleMania Battle Royal
Neither won the match
Raw May 28th, 2018
MITB Qualifying Gauntlet Match
Sasha Banks defeated Bayley, Dana Brooke, Liv Morgan, Mickie James Ruby Riott, and Sarah Logan
In total, Banks has won 8 matches against Bayley and Bayley has won 10 matches against Banks. These numbers do not include tag matches (either on the same side or against) and house show results.
WWE Superstar Sasha Banks was recently a guest on CBS Sports’ In This Corner podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. One such topic was the current WWE run and success of former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
Rousey debuted in WWE back in January after the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble and confronted Asuka, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair before pointing to the WrestleMania 34 sign. She’d go on to The Show Of Shows to team up with WWE Hall Of Famer and RAW General Manager Kurt Angle to defeat Stephanie McMahon and Triple H in Mixed Tag Team competition.
Just a few months later Rousey made her singles debut against Nia Jax with the RAW Women’s Title on the line at the Money In The Bank (MITB) pay-per-view (PPV). Rousey seemed like she was on the verge of winning the title, before Ms. Money In The Bank Alexa Bliss attacked both women and cashed-in her briefcase to win the RAW Women’s strap.
Banks has been pleasantly surprised with Rousey’s run in WWE thus far, saying The Rowdy One has been “killing it” inside the ring and she has thoroughly enjoyed watching her matches:
“She had been killing it. She’s proven all the doubters wrong, and it’s so crazy to see her matches,” said Banks. “I’m like in shock, I’m in awe. I loved her match at WrestleMania, I loved her match at Money in the Bank, and I definitely think she’s one to watch.
“I can’t believe Money in the Bank was only her second match and I am so impressed, and I hope I get to wrestle her in the future and I’m really excited for her here in the WWE and she really has been killing it.”
The Legit Boss admitted that she had her reservations about the Rousey-WWE signing at first, saying “When I first heard that she was gonna be here, I was a little like, ‘huh, that’s not really fair.”
Now, however, Banks sees that Rousey has proven herself worthy to be in the position she’s currently in with the company, and is excited to have Rousey in WWE.
You can listen to Banks on the In This Corner podcast by clicking this link here.
The doctor responsible for counseling the members of “Team Hell No”, Dr. Shelby, has volunteered his services to Bayley and Sasha Banks.
Raw General Manager, Kurt Angle, made the decision last night that both Bayley and Sasha Banks would attend mandatory counseling sessions beginning next week. They were told if they don’t attend the counseling sessions, they’ll both be fired.
The storyline is reminiscent of when Kane and Daniel Bryan were sent to anger management classes in 2012 with Dr. Shelby.
The character of Dr. Shelby was played by actor, Michael Aspinwall. He currently has roles in the television shows “Stupid Cupid” and “My Future Self”. The Dr. Shelby Twitter account, which is run by Aspinwall (as revealed in an AMA session), Tweets infrequently about WWE. After not Tweeting for several months, Dr. Shelby popped back up in May when Daniel Bryan was feuding with Big Cass.
I see @WWEDanielBryan is still having issues with @BigCassWWE? Remember everything I taught you, Daniel! Hugs around the world! HUGS #SDLive
Surprisingly, Dr. Shelby did not throw his support towards Kane’s Mayoral run earlier this year and did not Tweet out any messages of support. It’s possible Dr. Shelby does not feel Kane has advanced enough in his anger management.
Do you want to see Dr. Shelby return to WWE to counsel Sasha Banks and Bayley? Let us know in the comments below.
Indie band The Mountain Goats have released a tribute song for WWE Superstar Sasha Banks.
“Song For Sasha Banks” was posted to the bands Bandcamp page by frontman John Darnielle on Monday.
“Last night Sasha Banks wrestled for the Money in the Bank title,” notes Darnielle, “and while she didn’t take it home this time, I’ve learned enough about where she came from and how she got to where she is now to say with confidence: The sky is the limit for you. Your walk is just beginning and the day will come when all your setbacks look like steps on a ladder.”
You can hear “Song For Sasha Banks” by The Mountain Goats Here:
Founded 1991, the Mountain Goats 2015 wrestling-themed concept album, Beat the Champ, brough in positive reviews and prompted Banks to tweet:
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) May 3, 2015
The band accepted the challenge and have been working on the tune ever since. Darnielle noted on Bandcamp, “As a territories guy I had to learn her story. I said I’d finish the song by the end of the tour; it took a little longer than that.”
WWE Superstar Natalya recently spoke to Sun Sport to promote the new Then, Now, Forever: The Evolution of WWE’s Women’s Division WWE DVD. The Queen Of Harts talked about several professional wrestling topics, the first of those being how impressed she has been with former RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks.
Natalya has been impressed with The Boss’ in-ring work and says she brings out the best of her opponents inside the ring:
“I like it when people say that about me – we all want to be in great matches. It’s a great aspiration to have. You want to be that girl or guy who can have that great match with anyone. I’ve been working with Sasha Banks a lot on Raw and I see that in her too. I was so impressed with her in that Fatal 4-Way. Whether it’s Sasha against Charlotte, Sasha against Bayley… it’s just every girl I see in there with Sasha. She brings out the best in her opponents.”
She then revealed that she believes the moment she realized Triple H believed in her was when he entrusted her in working with rising star Charlotte Flair:
“I never knew how much Triple H believed in me until that moment. He knew I was the right person to elevate Charlotte and give her this moment. I think Triple H saw similarities in me and Charlotte. We both come from wrestling backgrounds. Charlotte had those same shoes to fill and family expectations. We didn’t even have a time limit. Triple said, ‘Just go in there and tear the house down.’
“It was my first time in my WWE career that I was just allowed to be me – to go in there and just do my thing and have complete control. It was such a special moment for me. That match sparked this surge of more incredible women’s matches in NXT. Then the girls on the main roster wanted those matches too. It was this crazy collaboration of the universe coming together – the fans, WWE management, and the girls all being on board and saying, ‘We need this.'”
You can read Natalya’s full interview with Sun Sport by clicking this link here.
Sasha Banks was interviewed at the WWE For Your Consideration 2018 Emmy nomination campaign.
While at the event, the former WWE RAW Women’s Champion spoke about various topics including being part of so many first time things in the women’s division under the banner of the sports entertainment company. Here is what she had to say: (transcript courtesy of Wrestlinginc.com): “That’s such a hard answer, I only dreamed I’d be a part of all these firsts,” Sasha said. “First woman to main event a PPV, that could be up there. Being a part of WrestleMania 32, having my cousin Snoop Dogg walk me down the aisle, that’s pretty cool. … I can’t just pick one because they all helped me grow and helped me understand this dream can be so much bigger.”
Despite being in the WWE for a short period of time (2012), Banks has achieved many things and wrestled a lot of Superstars. However, there are still some talents she wants to work with to have a solid one-on-one match in WWE. “With NXT we have so many women all over the world that I haven’t got to be in the ring with yet,” Sasha responded. “On Raw and SmackDown, I’ve got to wrestle quite a few … I feel like I haven’t had that great singles match with Naomi yet, because she’s on SmackDown Live. Natalya, I don’t feel like I’ve had a good singles, one-on-one match with her.”
What are your thoughts on Banks’ comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
The final competitor has been revealed for this upcoming match.
As seen on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Richmond, VA at the Richmond Coliseum on the USA Network, Sasha Banks beat Sarah Logan, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Mickie James, Bayley, and Dana Brooke in a Last Chance Qualifying Gauntlet Match.
As a result of this win, she has been added to the women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match at the upcoming MITB PPV event. She joins Ember Moon, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Lana, and Naomi as those who have already earned the right to compete in the ladder match.
The Money in the Bank pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured. Here is the updated card:
– Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Roode
– Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Ember Moon vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Lana vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks
Fans can expect to see Sasha Banks on WWE television for years to come.
She signed with WWE and placed in their developmental brand, NXT, in 2012. While under contract with the sports entertainment company, she has been featured in several historical moments.
Her match against Bayley at NXT TakeOver: Respect on October 7, 2015 was the first women’s match to ever headline a major WWE event as well as the first women’s Iron Man match. the longest women’s match in WWE history at the time with a length of 30 minutes.
In 2016, she and Charlotte Flair became the first women to headline a WWE pay-per-view event and the first to compete in a Hell in a Cell match (both at Hell in a Cell in October 2016), the first women to main event Raw in a women’s match since 2004.
Between WWE and NXT, Banks has had five championship reigns due her being a former NXT Women’s Champion and a record-tying four-time Raw Women’s Champion.
Wrestle Votes, which has broken previous WWE stories in the past, reports that Banks has re-signed with WWE a couple weeks ago. It was noted in the tweet that there are plans to make her a “key part of the women’s division for years to come.”
Contract news: hearing that Sasha Banks has re-signed to remain w/ WWE within the last week or so. She will continue to be a key part of the women’s division for years to come. Sasha certainly earned her new deal. She moves lots of merchandise & the young fans love her.
Former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Bayley has recently addressed the slow build for her feud with Sasha Banks.
Bayley is a loveable babyface that found her spotlight while in WWE’s developmental brand in Orlando, Florida, NXT. The sports entertainment company pushed her as a top babyface in the NXT women’s division after several talents were called up to the main roster such as Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Paige, Sasha Banks, Nia Jax and others. She is an underdog and resembles an average person. The company pushed her to the moon, and she quickly won the NXT Women’s Title. She held the title for a long time before she was called up to the main roster. However, when she was called up to the main roster and placed on the Raw, Vince McMahon did not put her in the same position as she was placed in NXT. That has changed as she is a more prominent talent on the main roster.
Bayley recently did an interview with SkySports.com and during that interview, she talked about her feud with Banks and if it could lead to them wrestling each other at this year’s SummerSlam event as it has been a slow build.
“When I was a kid watching wrestling that’s kind of how it was. You had these long feuds and storylines and you just got more and more interested and you wanted to see where it was going to go. You wanted to see the big blow-off match and I like that stuff because that’s what I grew up watching. There are so many people on the roster, there’s so much going on and there’s so much content that we sometimes rush through things so maybe that’s what we get used to and what we’re expecting. I’m pretty happy with it. I’m a fan still but I’m not a viewer so perhaps I see it differently but I really enjoy what’s going on. It’s fun and I think it’s going well.”
Bayley continued, “Any time I get to wrestle Sasha, I always want to do it. For SummerSlam to be in that building, I don’t know if I would be able to hold my tears back, but I’d love to do it. That’s a goal. Hopefully we can do it.”
What are your thoughts on Bayley’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
After SmackDown Live and 205 Live tapings wrapped up last night, a dark match between United States Champion Jeff Hardy and The Miz took place with the title on the line. Hardy successfully retained his strap and you can check out some photos here below:
This past Monday on RAW Bayley had an awkward interaction with a fan as she made her entrance. Bayley gave a hug to a young girl in the audience, and a young man next to her also tried to get in on the hug – but Bayley left looking a bit uncomfortable.
Bayley recently addressed this on Twitter, saying she didn’t realize he was there and was focused on the young girl:
🤷🏻♀️👩🏻🔬My bad dude, I was caught up in da moment between me and that little girl. Next time! https://t.co/mZv0BR3wFu
There have been some reports going around recently indicating that Sasha Banks could’ve lost her big push due to her poor attitude with fans in public. The Legit Boss has a history of not being too happy with fans approaching her in public for photos or autographs.
Banks recently took to Twitter to issue out a cryptic Tweet, telling fans to “be patient” and it’ll be worth the wait. While it’s unknown if Banks is addressing these reports indirectly, the timing certainly is interesting:
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) April 23, 2018
Chris Jericho Runs Into “No Way” Jose
Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho recently posted a photo on Instagram of himself and current RAW Superstar “No Way” Jose. It turns out Y2J ran into Jose at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina:
The WWE is currently touring in South Africa at the moment, and it looks like they’re making fans happy even outside the ring.
Despite being in Africa; Seth Rollins, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Titus O’Neil are still using Uber as a means for transportation. Their driver just so happened to be a WWE fan and absolutely freaked out when he realized who he’d be driving for.
The driver admitted that he watched them on TV every weekend, and also revealed a funny little tidbit about himself. It turns out that he shares the same name as former NXT Champion Sami Zayn.
Titus O’Neil caught most of their interaction with the fan on video and uploaded it to his Twitter. It’s a truly amazing and hilarious thing to watch. Check it out here below:
– As seen last night at WrestleMania, Bray Wyatt returned to WWE TV to assist “Woken” Matt Hardy in winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. This comes several weeks removed from Hardy DELETING Wyatt on The Ultimate Deletion on RAW.
Wyatt was tossed into the Lake Of Reincarnation and many speculated he could return as a new character. It seems that now Wyatt and Hardy will be allies on RAW moving forward. The pair took to Twitter to comment on their newfound friendship:
It’s time to DELETE & BURN all of the OPPOSITION as we ILLUMINATE The Plane identified as @WWE.
And it shall be DOCUMENTED.
The MAGIC within @WWE is about to be AUGMENTED EXPONENTIALLY.
– As seen in last night’s first-ever WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal, Bayley eliminated Sasha Banks to further add to their budding rivalry. It’s expected the pair will confront one another on tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
The Legit Boss took to Twitter to post a message to Bayley as we’re just hours away from showtime:
– Injured WWE Superstar Big Cass was backstage at last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW and was reportedly telling people he had been cleared to return, per a report from PWInsider. Cass has been out-of-action since August of last year when he suffered a torn ACL during a match with Enzo Amore. He required surgery to fix the injury and has been rehabbing ever since.
Cass was expected to return around May, meaning he’d be out of the question for a possible WrestleMania 34 appearance. He has been back training in the WWE Performance Center since mid-February. The initial word backstage around RAW was that Cass was in the final stages of his recovery and could be returning to RAW storylines soon.
– Tension between Sasha Banks and Bayley continues to boil over on Monday Night RAW, as rumors of a possible match between the pair at WrestleMania 34 swirl around. It’s expected that both women will instead be involved in the first-ever Women’s WrestleMania Battle Royal.
Banks and Bayley got into an argument in the middle of their tag team match against Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, leading to them suffering a loss. Banks took to Twitter to comment on the situation:
Either you're with me or you're not, there's no in between. #RawDallas
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) March 20, 2018
WWE.com recently looked at the top ten greatest women’s matches in the history of the sports entertainment company.
If you recall, back in 2016 at WrestleMania 32, WWE unveiled a new Women’s Championship title belt and re-branded the Divas Division to become the Women’s Division. Since then, WWE has placed a greater emphasis on its female performers, including recruiting female talent from around the world, as well as the recent signings of the first female recruits from the Middle East and India.
Another milestone in WWE’s women’s evolution came as recently as January with the women’s Royal Rumble. This evolution has placed a spotlight on its female performers, involving them in more prominent storylines, with deeper character development and longer matches.
You can check out the complete list here: #10 – 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble #9 – Alundra Blayze vs. Bull Nakano — (Women’s Championship Match: SummerSlam, Aug. 29, 1994) #8 – Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley — (Raw Women’s Championship Match: Monday Night Raw, Feb. 13, 2017) #7 – Paige vs. Emma — (NXT Women’s Championship Match: NXT ArRIVAL) #6 – Trish Stratus vs. Lita — (Women’s Championship Match: Monday Night Raw, Dec. 6, 2004) #5 – Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch — (NXT Women’s Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: NXT TakeOver: RIVAL) #4 – Asuka vs. Ember Moon – (NXT Women’s Championship Match: NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III) #3 – Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch — (WWE Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match: WrestleMania 32) #2 – Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks — (WWE Women’s Championship Match: Raw July 25, 2016) #1 – Sasha Banks vs. Bayley – (NXT Women’s Championship Match: NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn)
– It looks like WWE could have called off its plans to have Sasha Banks vs. Bayley at WrestleMania 34 this year. Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer is reporting that the match may no longer be taking place in New Orleans, as per his count he has 14 matches currently on the card. At this point WWE doesn’t really need to add another match to the card, meaning Banks vs. Bayley could get the snub:
“I think we got the whole WrestleMania card. I got 14 matches listed and I don’t think they need more than 14. I don’t think they are going to have any more. They could still throw in a Bayley vs. Sasha Banks match but I’m guessing they are both in the Battle Royal.”
– Meltzer also reports that NXT TakeOver: New Orleans seems to be besting the post-WrestleMania episode of Monday Night RAW as far as ticket sales go. TakeOver is actually near a sellout and will be going head-to-head with a Ring Of Honor (ROH) show which seats 5,000 fans – as opposed to NXT’s venue that can hold double that at 10,000.
A few years ago WWE Superstar Sasha Banks revealed in an interview that she didn’t speak to Vince McMahon much because she was intimidated by him. Now a few years later, “The Legit Boss” said in a recent interview with Al Arabiya English’s William Mullally that the situation has changed:
“It is [different]. It comes with growing up, becoming more mature and becoming a woman. You have this more comfortable feeling of, ‘ok, you work for the boss, you work for the man, a legend, Vince McMahon, but hey, you’re the Legit Boss, so you better go through that door, tell him what you’d like to do and what you’d like to have. Honestly, that’s the biggest thing—not being afraid to stand up for yourself. If you’re very passionate about something, he’s the man to talk to.
“I’ve learned that it’s actually very easy to talk to him, and it’s so much better for me to talk to him than to talk to writers, because you get the right answer, and you get the answer right away. You kind of understand what he wants from you as a performer. It’s been so much easier talking to him, and I feel less intimidated,”
Banks also said that going directly to Vince on certain things has actually made life a lot easier:
“A lot of times, when it comes to whether we’re handed a promo that I’m not really feeling, or trying to figure out what the story—if we don’t know what we’re doing, it’s hard to perform. Recently we asked him, ‘hey, where are we going with this storyline? Can you tell me what direction you’d like to see me go?’ Getting the answer right from him straight up makes it so much easier.”
You can read Banks’ full interview with Al Arabiya English by clicking this link here.
As we’ve previously noted, a WrestleMania 34 match-up between Sasha Banks and Bayley is being rumored for April. Banks and Bayley have been teasing a rivalry with one another for the past several months. Things boiled over during the first-ever Women’s Elimination Chamber match this past weekend. Banks turned on Bayley after they had been working together, however, it was “The Hugger” who ended up eliminating Banks from the match.
The following night on RAW Banks and Bayley were on the same team in a Six Woman Tag Team match. Banks was about to make a tag to Bayley before she jumped off of the ring apron, leaving Banks hanging. It seems like we’re going to see this rivalry between the pair evolve in the coming weeks. The WrestleVotes Twitter account is reporting that, if the match happens at WrestleMania, it will make history.
It will be the first time in WrestleMania history where two women meet in a singles non-title match with no stipulation. The other was billed as a “cat fight” at WrestleMania 2000:
History on the horizon @ WrestleMania:
If @SashaBanksWWE & @itsBayleyWWE have a singles match, it will be the first time in Mania history 2 women compete in a standard (no stipulation), non title, 1 on 1 match.
Only other non title singles was billed as a "Catfight" at WM2000
– In the main event of last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, WWE Champion AJ Styles lost a non-title match to John Cena. Per the stipulation, Cena has now earned himself into the WWE Championship match on the Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) next month. The match will now be a Six Pack Challenge between AJ Styles, John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, and Dolph Ziggler. WWE posted the following video of Dasha Fuentes interviewing the WWE Champ after his loss. Check it out:
– RAW Superstar Bayley was recently interviewed by The Mirror following WWE’s Elimination Chamber PPV this past weekend. “The Hugger” was asked about a possible feud with her former NXT rival and friend Sasha Banks. Here’s what she had to say:
“I would love for that to happen and I really do think that we have such a great chemistry and it’s just a natural bond, that it doesn’t matter when it happens, we can pick it up anywhere,” Bayley said. “Not to sound cocky or anything, but I just think we have a really good connection. Whenever we have the time to tell that story, we would be able to. And last night after what she did, I think now is a good time! So I would love to start that up and get some payback.”
Read Bayley’s full interview with The Mirror by clicking this link here.
– As we’ve previously reported, Jinder Mahal lost a dark match to Randy Orton after last night’s SmackDown Live and 205 Live tapings in just five seconds. YouTube star Lilly Singh was sitting at ringside and gave “The Modern Day Maharaja” a special introduction:
This past Monday on RAW an interesting angle took place in which Bayley refused to aid Sasha Banks during their Six-Woman Tag Team match to open the show. Bayley hopped off the ring apron before Banks could tag her into the match. In a RAW Fallout video after the show Bayley said that she had her reasons for doing what she did.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reports that WWE is finally building up to a feud between Banks and Bayley at WrestleMania 34. The feud has been in the making for quite some time and Meltzer says its been put on the back burner several times. Banks and Bayley have had a rivalry stretching back all the way to their days in NXT. In August of 2015 Banks dropped her then-NXT Women’s Championship to Bayley. The two remained good friends despite their in-ring rivalry and Banks also lost her NXT Women’s Championship rematch in a 30-Minute Iron Man match at NXT TakeOver: Respect with a score of 3 Falls to 2.
Banks was called up to the main roster after that match and Bayley would follow the next year in July of 2016. Each woman has had their respective runs with the RAW Women’s Championship since coming to the main roster. If Banks and Bayley are able to repeat the magic they performed in NXT on “The Grandest Stage Of Them All” it would do wonders for their stock on the main roster.
At Elimination Chamber 2018, Sasha Banks once again turned on Bayley, knocking her off a chamber pod. Banks also eliminated Bayley from the Royal Rumble in January.
On last nights edition of Monday Night Raw, however, Bayley got a measure of revenge against her friend. Bayley short-armed a tag attempt from Banks during a 6-person tag match.
Bayley commented on her actions to WWE.com:
Sasha Banks versus Bayley at WrestleMania
As Banks and Bayley move from former friends to bitter rivals, one has to wonder if a match between them will occur at WrestleMania. With less than 6 weeks to go until WrestleMania, spots on the card are filling up fast.
Sasha Banks also popped up in the comments section of the following post by Bayley, commenting on how Bayley has not returned her calls.
